Rs 19 Cr Ration Scam: CB Chargesheets 13 Officers Including 9 ADs , 2 CAOs AND 2 TSOs In J&K

The Crime Branch has filed a chargesheet against 13 former officers, including nine then Assistant Directors (ADs), two Chief Accounts Officers (CAOs), and two Tehsil Supply Officers (TSOs), in a major ration scam in Jammu rural.

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A CB official said the scam involved the misappropriation of over 4.39 lakh quintals of BPL/AAY (Below Poverty Line/Antyodaya Anna Yojana) ration, valued at Rs 19.2 crore, during the years 2002, 2003, 2005 and 2006.
According to him, the case was registered by the Department of Consumer Affairs and Public Distribution (CA&PD) following an audit report from the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG), which flagged discrepancies in ration distribution.

A detailed departmental reconciliation further confirmed the misappropriation, he said.
The investigation, led by four senior officers from the Crime Branch, found that the accused had issued excess food grains beyond the authorized quota for BPL and AAY families, without justification, the Crime Branch official said, adding that the misappropriated ration was then sold or diverted, resulting in financial gains for the accused.

Of the 13 accused, seven have passed away, one is on bail, one surrendered in court, and the remaining four were arrested and produced in court during the charge sheet submission.

Notably, a similar misappropriation case from 2004 was previously investigated and challaned by the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB).

Senior Superintendent of Police, Crime Jammu, Benam Tosh, confirmed that the investigation of FIR No. 21/2009 under Sections 409, 420, 120-B RPC, and 5(2) of the Prevention of Corruption Act has been completed. The chargesheet has been filed in the court of the Special Judge Anti-Corruption Jammu for judicial determination.